As the fear of creative liberties being curtailed gains ground, film producers and content studios are equally wary of the business and economic implications of the Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021 proposed by the information and broadcasting ministry recently.
Siddharth Mahajan, partner at Athena Legal in conversation with LiveMint said that the re-examining clause could lead to uncertainty for producers since re-examination can occur even after the release of the film. If the central government receives any references regarding the film, the producer could be directed to make changes or alterations to a certified film. “This coupled with the fact that the Film Certification Appellate Tribunal, a statutory body to hear appeals against the orders of CBFC has been abolished recently and any filmmaker not satisfied with the order of CBFC has to approach the high court, which could lead to further delays and costs in addition to potential loss of profits due to delayed release.